Panacea
by jibbsloversunited
Summary: Hope has been known to spring from heartbreak. A Jibbs AU by Elflordsmistress
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:**

I have a rather strong visual of Gibbs at a funeral service which just won't leave me alone. As opposed to fighting it and hoping it will go away, I've decided to write a story around it. Also, I need to make an important decision for _Proclivities_, and don't want to feel stressed about it. So instead of posting nothing for a few days till I make up my mind, I'll write and post this.

For this story, rather than creating an original character I'm going back to season one. More specifically to episode nineteen – which featured Special Agent Chris Pacci who met an untimely end in an elevator (and Tony getting it on with a woman who was really a man). We never learnt much about Pacci, so I feel justified in creating a backstory for him. It will emerge during the story. I'm not anticipating a long story at all. Three parts. Maybe four, at most. Certainly not plot-driven like my other stories. But it is still very much an AU, and I've taken liberties with the placement of one particular event. In the episode the funeral takes place before they solve the case. In the story it takes place afterwards.

Since this is set in Season one, the whole thing with Ari hasn't totally kicked in, Kate is still alive, there is no Ziva, and the events of _Hiatus_ haven't happened. Consequently Gibbs is not as _heavy_ as he is in later seasons. That is partly why I chose to set it here, too.

And now that the author's note is longer than the chapter I think I should give the screen over to the characters. I hope you enjoy the story.

* * *

Gibbs put the earpiece on as he leaned towards the screen.

"Hey Abs, you there?"

"Yeah, Gibbs. I finally got the link working."

"Our lady's back" he said, knowing that the camera he had trained on Amanda Reed's apartment was relaying feed back to the navy yard.

"Yeah, I saw her."

"You get a chance to check Pacci's computer yet?"

"Yeah. I just finished pulling the last two weeks off it. There wasn't a lot there. Like a lot of older agents he wasn't very computer savvy."

"Send me the files."

"Well, you know how to download them?" Abby teased gently.

"Don't go there, Abs" came the tart response as he moved back towards the camera.

"Touchy .."

"Pacci's dead, Abs" he snapped. "Might not have ended that way if I'd given him the time of day."

"Can we do a sound check on the laser mike?" she said, knowing that it was better to change the subject than pursue the issue. Knowing that nothing she could say would assuage the guilt eating at him.

"Sure" Gibbs said as he looked through the camera's viewfinder again. "Where'd she go?" he asked, turning round as keys jangled and Kate entered the apartment.

"Starbucks and then the pharmacy to pick up a prescription. Hey Abs."

"Hey. Sending the files over now, Gibbs."

"What are they?" Kate asked as the files popped up on the screen.

"Everything I found on Pacci's hard drive" Abby explained.

Gibbs walked towards the computer. His hand hovered over the mouse for a second - and then he turned to Kate.

"Open 'em" he said.

Kate exchanged a knowing smile with Abby and settled in front of the screen.

"I don't think these are work-related" she said after a while when a few jpegs opened up. "Do you want to look at them anyway?"

"Everything" Gibbs said as he watched Amanda down tablets across the street.

"This is odd" Kate said.

"What?"

"Chris had a family."

"How is that odd?" Gibbs asked, feeling bile rise ominously into his throat.

"Was he married?"

"Not that I know of" Gibbs replied as he stood from his chair and walked over. "But Pacci wasn't much of a talker."

Kate looked discomfited.

"When Tony and I went into his apartment it was ... empty. Impersonal. I asked Tony how well he knew him and he said _softball, beers after wor_k. Things like that. Why wouldn't Pacci have mention having a family?"

Gibbs looked over her shoulder at a photo of a redheaded woman and two young children.

"Maybe they aren't his."

"They're definitely his" she said as she brought up another photo of Pacci and two children with a _Happy Father's Day_ background. "And there are quite a few more."

"Maybe he was divorced" Abby suggested.

"Even if he was divorced, why weren't there any photos on his desk? Why would he keep his family a secret."

"Maybe it wasn't a secret, Kate. Maybe he just wanted to keep his private life private" Gibbs said as he walked towards the front door; more disturbed than he was ready to admit by the sight of family photos. It had been bad enough when he'd thought he'd let one person down. The fact that another three people were potentially involved only added to the weight on his soul. "I'm going for coffee" he said as he headed out the door. "Keep watching."

Kate looked across the screen at the goth.

"His apartment was completely empty, Abby. Not one photo. Even if he was divorced, wouldn't he at least have a photos of his kids in the bedroom?"

Abby shrugged, but her thoughts were elsewhere.

"He's not taking this very well, is he?"

Kate shook her head.

"It's not his fault."

"Yeah. But try telling that to Gibbs."

* * *

Ducky looked up just as he'd tossed his scrubs into the trash can.

"Jethro .. I didn't expect you back this late. I was just about to call you."

"Did you find something off in that autopsy report?"

"No, I didn't. It was detailed and complete. As I expected, the M.E.'s transcript was impeccable."

"Have Abby re-run the DNA. We're picking up where Chris left off."

"Right" Ducky said as he made the final adjustments to his bow tie and slipped into his jacket. "I would expect no less."

Gibbs nodded as he continued to leaf through the file.

"I heard the Director asked you to speak at Pacci's memorial service" Ducky began tentatively.

"Yeah, I declined. Can't do it, Duck. I wouldn't feel right"

"Jethro ..."

"Chris asked me for help on this, Ducky. I was chasing Curtin and didn't have time."

"Jethro ... " Ducky tried again, but Gibbs wasn't having it.

"He said it could wait. He said '_what's one more day?'"_

"Jethro, this is not your fault."

"It feels like it is, Ducky. He had two children ..."

"Who we never knew about" Ducky interjected.

"They're out there without a father right now, Duck" Gibbs said, emotion bubbling inside him. "Two children with no answers. I let them down just as surely as I did their father."

"He wasn't a close personal friend, Jethro. It isn't surprising that we didn't know much about his life outside NCIS. Or that he had a family."

For a moment something flashed across Gibbs' face which made Ducky look at him a little more closely. But nothing else was forthcoming, and he thought he might have read too much into the pain that flashed across the younger man's face.

"Still can't do it, Duck" was all Gibbs said before he turned away.

* * *

A few evenings later the atmosphere in the bullpen was oppressive. They'd solved the case, the person responsible for killing Pacci was dead. But none of that was going to bring him back, and the knowledge sat heavy with Gibbs as he went through the contents of the agent's desk; boxing them in preparation for the service the following day. Kate watched in silence, trying to understand what he was doing.

"Why are you going through everything before you box it?"

"Force of habit" Gibbs replied, as he pulled another piece of paper from a spiral bound botebook and crumpled it. "I don't want his family getting an unpleasant surprise."

"Are you really not going to talk at the service tomorrow?" she asked after a while.

He didn't answer as he got to his feet and hefted the box off the desk. Something which didn't surprise her, but which did prompt her next quiet question. "Do you want _me_ to give the box to the family tomorrow?"

"No."

And the message was clear – he owed Chris at least that much.


	2. Chapter 2

The feel of her five year old nephew's hand in hers was the only thing grounding Jenny Shepard. She stared vacantly ahead of her – vaguely registering that Director Morrow was using some very big words about Chris as he delivered his eulogy. Part of her wished they'd asked someone else to speak. Someone who had known her brother well enough to tell stories about him. But not for the first time since she'd received the news she wondered whether there were actually any stories _to_ tell. Whether he'd had any real friends at work. The church was full of people come to pay their last respects – but how many of them had come out of a sense of obligation? Someone from _Human Resources_ had called to tell her that an agent would be bringing Chris's personal effects to her, but nobody else had reached out. Nobody had called to ask whether they could help in any way, or how the children were handling their father's death. Or even just to check up on them out of courtesy. It had made her feel cold inside that it apparently made no difference to anyone but them that Chris was no longer around. For a brief moment she wondered bitterly whether they'd already assigned his desk to someone else - and suddenly she wasn't sure she wanted to address the sea of faces behind her. Not sure she wanted to share with them who her brother _really_ was, if nobody cared.

Gibbs watched as the redhead he'd seen in the photos replaced Morrow at the pulpit. Something about her called out to him - and he knew it wasn't merely the red hair. She was looking out at the people present as if she was seeking a connection with them. His chest constricted painfully as he recognised the glazed look. He remembered feeling, when Shannon and Kelly had died, as if the world had crumbled around him and he was surrounded by blankness. He watched her mouth move and was aware that even though he wasn't listening to a word she was saying, he was internalising her pain. Almost instantly he felt her eyes settle on him. He couldn't come up with any explanation for why she'd chosen to look at _him_ as she continued to speak. Maybe she needed to focus on someone who wasn't looking away, or maybe she could see the sincerity in him, even from a distance. But whatever the reason, her abject grief was something he could relate to. It created a palpable connection between them – even if she wasn't aware of it. The despair resonated deeply with him, and he couldn't pull his eyes from her. She looked even more beautiful in the flesh. More ethereal. And although he knew that at some level being mesmerised by her was wrong, as she spoke about what a good father and loyal brother Chris had been, he was drawn to her in a way he hadn't felt drawn to any woman in a very long time.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Jenny felt ridiculously grateful, as she stood graveside, that the man from the church had come to see Chris laid to rest. He'd leant silent support at a time when she'd been having trouble carrying on, and she'd drawn a strange kind of comfort from his presence - even though she had no idea who he was. She'd sought him out on the way out of the church and seen her own response to Chris's death mirrored back at her in his eyes. For a moment the grief had seemed to magnify, but there had been no time to linger. She'd moved on with the briefest of glances over her shoulder, and the vague hope that he would be present at the cemetery.

There were a lot less people from the agency present. No more than a handful. Another thing she was grateful for. She could be herself surrounded by the people Chris had mattered to. Let her grief overwhelm her if need be. As the pastor motioned for the mourners to place the flowers they were holding on the casket she could feel his eyes on her, and was almost sure that the conforting smell of old spice and sawdust that lingered in the air right behind her was coming from him. She focused on the feeling that someone had her back as she placed her rose over the place she knew Chris' heart was, and turned to watch the stranger step up and do the same. She had barely finished wishing that someone, _anyone_, would put propriety aside and stand next to her as the coffin was lowered into the ground before he took his place next to her.

Gibbs watched her composure crumble as the casket disappeared from view, and reached for her before she was even aware herself that her knees were giving way.

"I've got you" he murmured as she fell against him with large heaving sobs.

He held her as long as she allowed him to. Absorbing her pain. Reliving his own.

"Thank you" she said as short while later, raising her eyes to his as she released the lapels of his trench coat.

He saw her gratitude and almost recoiled from the green eyes that were intense even behind the wateriness that showcased them. He compressed his lips tightly and nodded, but was saved from having to respond properly by the pastor walking up and taking her hand in his. He stepped backwards, allowing other people filled the gap between them, and turned to come face to face with his team.

"Head back to the yard" he said curtly, all too aware of the way they were looking at him. Almost as though they were waiting for some sort of explanation.

Tony looked as though he might ask where he would be – but then thought better of it. When they had gone he walked slowly back to the burial site. A few people he took to be neighbours and friends were still offering their condolences, so he put his hands in his pockets and waited; his eyes on the upturned earth that now covered Chris Pacci.

"I have your brother's things" he said when everyone had gone and she walked up to him.

"Thank you" she said softly.

"Do you have a car or ..." he said, looking round.

"The funeral home sent a car. Some friends and neighbours are coming home. If you'd like to join us ..."

Gibbs looked at her for a long moment before nodding.

"I'll drive behind you" he said.

Jenny nodded. She walked a few steps away from him before coming back.

"I'm Jenny" she said, before holding out her hand.

"Jethro."

"I'll see you at home then. Jethro."

________________________________________________________________

He kept pretty much to himself at the gathering; not wishing to intrude, not knowing what to say, and unable to stray far from Jenny. Telling himself that he had unfinished business with her. He was staring out onto the back garden when the front door swung open and the little boy he had seen at the service ran in. Jenny pulled him into her arms and held him tight for a while.

"Where's Molly?" he asked when he pulled back.

"Mrs. Murphy is bringing her home later."

"I want her to come home _now_" he said, his voice teary.

"Um .. okay ... I'll call Mrs. Murphy and tell her to bring -"

"Who's that?" he interrupted as his eyes fell on Gibbs.

"A friend of your dad's. His name is Jethro."

"Can I talk to him?" the child said, his eyes going a bit wide.

"I think he'd like that" she said as she propelled him gently in that direction.

"Are you really a friend of my dad?" he asked, once he stood next to him.

Gibbs swallowed around the lump in his throat.

"Yeah."

The child nodded and leaned against the window too, mimicking Gibbs' posture.

"I'm Gabriel" he announced. "I'm going to be six soon. Do you work at NCIS?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Are you a good agent?"

Gibbs smiled a little.

"I hope so."

"Aunty Jenny said that dad died because someone really bad fooled him. Anybody really bad ever fool you?"

"Oh yeah. More than once."

"Then how come you're still alive?"

There was no anger in his tone – only sadness and curiousity – but it amplified Gibbs' sense of guilt. For the second time in as many hours he was saved from having to respond. The front door opened again and a blur of colour charged into the living room.

"Gabel!" a little girl shouted as she wrapped her arms around her brother's waist and hugged him tightly.

"This is Molly" the little boy explained to Gibbs as he hugged her back. "She's ours."

The little girl looked up at Gibbs as though he were a giant, and then she smiled brightly.

"Up" she demanded, as she held out her arms.

As he lifted her, Gibbs saw Jenny approach.

"Sorry. She's a little ... _forward_" she said as the child smiled happily and jumped from Gibbs's arms into hers immediately.

"How old is she?" Gibbs asked as he watched the child alternately hug Jenny and play with her hair.

"Two years and five months" Gabriel announced. "She's too young to understand what's going on. And she still wears diapers."

"Speaking of which ..." Jenny said with a wrinkle of her nose, "do you have a _gift_ for me in there, madam?"

"Nope" the child said with a wide grin.

"Are you _sure_?"

"Yip."

"I think I'll check just to be sure" Jenny said, glad to have something mundane to focus on. "Gabriel ... will you see if Jethro would like some more ice tea. I'll be back in a moment."

True to her word she was, and Gibbs realised that upon her return people started to leave.

"Are you leaving too?" Gabriel asked as he headed for the door himself.

"Just need to get something from the car."

"So you're coming back?"

"Yeah. Back in a minute."

Gabriel sat on the porch and watched – never taking his eyes off the agent for a second.

"What's in the box?" he wanted to know when Gibbs walked back up the steps.

"Something for you."

"What?" the child asked, his eyes lighting up for the first time.

"Your father's badge" Gibbs said, lifting it from the box respectfully. "I know he would have wanted you to have it."

Gabriel turned it over in his hand a few times.

"You know all those really bad people we talked about?" he said after a while.

"Yeah? What about 'em?"

"When I grow up I'm going to put them all in jail."

"Your dad would be proud to hear you say that" Gibbs said with a sad smile as he ruffled his hair.

He looked up as Molly ran over to them and inserted herself between his knees and the box.

"I think I'll just take that now before she gets into it" Jenny said as she followed and lifted the box off the table. "We'll go through it later, Gabriel."

"Okay" the child replied. "Jethro?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you stay for dinner?"

"I'm sure Jethro needs to get back to work, sweetheart" Jenny said softly.

But Gabriel put his hand in Gibbs' and looked up with him with tears in his eyes.

"Please don't go."


	3. Chapter 3

The knife slipping from her hand and clattering loudly against the floor tiles was enough to set her off again. Jenny gripped the kitchen island tightly with one hand, and covered her mouth with the other – trying to keep the keening moan that wanted to escape from making its way past her lips.

"Why don't you go and lie down for a while?"

She looked up to find him standing in the doorway.

"I have to make dinner" she began feebly.

"Dinner can wait" he said as he bent over, picked the knife from the floor and placed it back on the island.

"No, it can't. Molly becomes unbearable if dinner is late."

"Jenny ..."

"I'm fine" she said as she swiped at her damp cheeks with the heel of her hand, before picking up the knife and going back to paring vegetables.

Gibbs stood watching her for a moment longer. After a while she put the knife down and looked sideways at him.

"You're looking at me as though you wanna ask me something."

"Jenny ... Shepard?"

"My married name. I got divorced years ago, but never bothered to change my name back. Jenny Shepard sounds a lot more elegant than Jenny Pacci" she confessed with a small smile.

Gibbs smiled back and held her eyes with his own when she reached out and placed her hand over his.

"Thank you for staying. It means a lot to Gabriel that someone took the time to make sure we're okay. He's been having a hard time understanding why nobody cared."

She knew she wasn't being completely truthful, but that didn't seem important. Certainly Gibbs' next words surprised her.

"Nobody knew you existed" he said slowly. "Chris never mentioned having a family. To anyone."

The relief that flooded her body almost brought tears to her eyes again, and suddenly she felt this profound desire to tell him about the life Chris had led; the choices he'd made.

It was after dinner before she got the chance.

"Maria and I went to college together" she said as she picked a family photo off the mantlepiece in the living room and handed it to him. "She married Gabriel's father and moved to California. She showed up at my door when she was a a few weeks pregnant with Molly. She'd come home and found another woman in her bed" she said when Gibbs looked at her questioningly. "She and Chris just ... it was one of those things, you know? They just looked at each other and they knew. They got married as soon as her divorce came through. When she was about two months pregnant they were doing some kind of exam and they found a mass on one of her ovaries. They gave her the option of terminating Molly and having it removed, or having it removed as soon as the baby was delivered."

Gibbs watched her eyes fill with tears as she carried on.

"She waited. But the cancer had spread by then. She died six weeks after Molly was born. Chris was devastated. We were all devastated."

"So Chris wasn't their father ..." Gibbs observed.

"He was their father in every way that mattered. Gabriel was still in preschool when Maria died" she said, glancing at the children huddled together on the carpet. "Maria's father moved here from South Carolina to help out, but eventually it became too much for him. I quit my job last year to stay home with them. Gabriel started full day kindergarten this year, but Molly will be home for a while yet."

Gibbs nodded but remained silent – because there was really not very much he could say. But at least he knew now how he'd missed all of this. He'd been in Russia at the time.

"Jethro ..." she said after a while.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Do you know if A-"

She was interrupted by the doorbell ringing.

"Zio!" Gabriel shouted as he opened the door wide.

A man about Jenny's age stepped into the house.

"Jenny .." he said as he took her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. "Mi dispiace."

"I'm sorry I couldn't pick you up at the airport."

"Figurati. I would have made it on time for the service if the flight hadn't been delayed. I'm sorry I missed it."

"Alberto .." she said as she pulled away, "this is Jethro, a friend of Chris."

"Piacere" the man said, holding out his hand.

"Alberto is Maria's brother" Jenny added.

"He works as a chef. On a boat" Gabriel explained proudly.

"How long are you staying?" Jenny asked, linking her arm through his as she led him through to the kitchen.

"A few days" Alberto said.

"Good. The children will like that" she replied. "Are you hungry?"

"Nah. How are you holding up?" he asked, pushing a stray tress of hair behind her ears.

Jenny felt herself coming apart at the seams the moment he touched her. She shook her head vigorously and turned away from him. Gibbs exchanged one look with Alberto and called out to the children.

"Who wants a story?"

"Me!" a little voice piped up.

Gibbs leaned down and picked the little girl up, but when he turned to Gabriel he found that his eyes were fixed on his aunt's quaking shoulders.

"I think Jenny needs a bit of time with your uncle " he said.

Gabriel looked at him with solemn eyes.

"Are you really going to read us a story?"

"Yeah."

"Can Molly sleep in my bed tonight?" he wanted to know as he slipped his hand into Gibbs' and led him away.

"If she wants."

________________________________________________________

He waited till he heard the front door click shut before he went donwstairs again. He found Jenny in the study, going through the items he'd packed into the box.

"Was it all neatly lined up on his desk?" she asked as she pulled out the spiralbound notebook that he'd relieved of a few pages the night before. "Everything needed to be _just so_. It drove me crazy. Was he like that at work too?"

Gibbs smiled a little as he remembered Tony's story about the stapler.

"Yeah."

There was a silence for a long stretch as she continued to place things on the desk – and then she walked over to a drinks cabinet off to her left.

"Not much I can offer you" she said, as she perused its contents with a dismal shake of her head.

"Not a problem."

"I don't know about you, but I could use something strong right about now."

Gibbs hesitated for a moment before pulling out his hip flask.

"Bourbon?"

"Never had any" she admitted.

"Some people say it's an acquired taste" he said with a smile.

"Well then ..." she said as she pulled two tumblers down and held out her hand for the flask.

Gibbs' smiled faded as she extended her hand, but he placed it in her palm despite his reluctance. Jen looked at him intently, trying to understand what had just flashed across his face. She had her answer when her eyes fell on the inscription.

_Happy Birthday 10th November. _

_Love you__. _

_Shannon and Kelly._

"Shannon and Kelly?" she asked softly, treading carefully on what she was sure was a painful part of his past.

"Wife and daughter" he replied hoarsely. "They died in ninety-one."

Jenny felt emotion well up in her again as she saw the raw pain that traversed his features – and suddenly she knew why the connection she felt to him was so strong.

"I'm so sorry, Jethro."

She'd reached for him before he could move out of range, and the feeling that she thought he needed more comfort than she did was so alien to him that he froze in place. He wasn't used to sharing this part of his life. Much less accepting sympathy. But here they were - two strangers on an emotional rollercoaster; united by grief that spanned almost two decades. The knowledge that he had contributed to hers choked him, but he couldn't step back from her. He was too overwhelmed by the empathy; too affected by the warmth emanating from her to refuse it. Or her.

Jenny felt him tremble slightly and tightened her grip. Was gratified when she felt him respond in kind. She wasn't sure how long they stood there, but there came a point when her awareness of him shifted fractionally, and suddenly she was paralysed by the fear that she might be taking advantage of his vulnerability. She cleared her throat slightly, and his reaction was instantaneous. He took the flask back from her and poured two measures from it before returning it to its place in his jacket. Jenny took a deep swallow and blinked against the smarting sensation of the liquid trailing her throat.

"I see what you mean about it being an acquired taste" she said with an attempt at a smile.

Gibbs cocked his head to the side and returned her smile with a small one of his own before taking a sip from his own glass.

"Jethro .." she began slowly as she moved towards an armchair "what can you tell me about the way Chris died? Was it connected with the case he was working on? The Director didn't give me any details."

As Gibbs looked at her, unsure how much to divulge, she carried on.

"A few weeks ago he told me about a house that had gone back on the market, and some woman that had bought it. Some lead on a cold case. He wasn't specific, but I can't remember the last time I saw him so worked up about anything. "

Gibbs nodded.

"A Lieutenant Commander was under investigation for stealing twelve million dollars from the Navy when he was killed in an automobile accident in Buford County."

"How do you steal twelve million dollars from the Navy and get away with it?" she asked with disbelief in her voice.

"Credit card fraud" he replied.

"And nobody noticed anything?"

"Not for almost four years. Not till he decided to expand his scam to bilk the entire Atlantic Fleet Command. When he died in the crash all he had were savings that were reasonable for someone of his rank."

"So the case was dropped."

"Yeah."

"So Chris reopened it when ..."

"A lead came up in the form of the house he mentioned to you, and ..."

He stopped talking when Jen's eyes filled with tears again.

"He was consumed by it" she said – so softly that Gibbs almost didn't catch the words. "So obsessed that it scared me. I made him promise me that he wouldn't do anything alone. That he would get help on the case."

"Jen .."

"He promised me he had" she shouted suddenly, anger transmuting the grief. "He told me he asked the best agent for help."

She whirled back to him suddenly, her eyes flashing as much in pain as in anger.

"Do you know who this _Agent Gibbs_ is?" she spat. "Chris never asked anyone for anything. Who is he? Was he even at the funeral this morning? Does he even know or care that my brother is dead because he didn't help him?"

Her body shook as she tried to control herself, and it was only the lack of response on Gibbs' part, and the pained look in his eyes, that alerted her to the fact that she'd missed a crucial part of the equation.

"No" she said, backing away from him as she understood the implications of the silence, her hand rising to her mouth.

"Jenny .." he said, taking a step towards her, "when Chris asked me for help I was ..."

Jenny took a deep breath and stood stock still. When her words came she didn't mince them.

"You were _what_? So busy that you didn't have five minutes to give him? Do people steal twelve million dollars from the Navy every day? Or is that loose change to you?"

"He didn't give me the particulars."

Somewhere in her head she knew that she could be totally off base, but at that moment she couldn't bring herself to care.

"Why not? Because you brushed him off the moment you heard _cold case_? Or did you see him as someone wasting your time while you were working on whatever important case you were trying to break?"

Gibbs swallowed compulsively - but she carried on, relentless.

"And what happened _after_ you solved your case, _Agent Gibbs_? Did you go back and ask if he still needed your help? Or was he so insignificant that it completely slipped your mind that he'd asked for your help in the first place?"

Tears welled as grief swallowed up the anger once more, and it took her a moment longer to draw another conclusion. When she spoke again the bitterness in her voice wrapped itself around him.

"Was today about your _guilt_, Jethro? Is that why you came? Is that why you were good with Gabriel? Why you were so good with me? Because if it was then you're in the wrong place. I can't give you whatever absolution you're looking for. I have far too many people to look after. I don't have the time or the energy to support you as well. You're going to have to work through this on your own."

A few minutes later Gibbs sat in his car looking at the house, his stomach clenching and unclenching; his mind on the woman who had asked him to leave before promptly turning away from him. The crushing accusation that he'd been there under false pretences weighed on him as heavily as the knowledge that Chris would still be alive if he hadn't dismissed him. But as he eased the car into traffic, the only thought that ricocheted around his brain was that he'd overstepped his boundaries.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note:**

Some fibre optic thingy near my house is down. We've had a DSL outage for the past 30 hours. Am going to post this using a USB key from the library, but since the outage has affected lots of homes I anticipate not being able to be online long enough to answer any reviews for the last chapter. Sorry. Hope you continue to enjoy this. _**_______________________________________________________________________________**_

_**Three months later ...**_

"He's been struggling for a while. Sometimes grief manifests itself in aggressive behaviour, but that isn't the case with Gabriel. He's become ... withdrawn. Is it the same at home?"

"He's withdrawn when he thinks nobody's looking" Jen said after a moment's consideration.

"He had a huge meltdown this morning. The third one this week. It's the reason I sent for you. I think I've figured out what this is about" the school counsellor said kindly.

"He no longer talks to me about anything that happens at school. Is that normal?"

"Yes. He can't express what's going on."

"Is he being teased?"

"No. Far from it, in fact. His class mates have been surprisingly supportive for five year olds, and his teacher has made every effort to work around sensitive topics. However, there are some things even she can't avoid."

"Like?"

"_Career Week _is coming up in two weeks. Every year the students submit a project about what their parents do. They've been talking about it during circle time and Gabriel just keeps falling apart."

"Should I just keep him home till its over?" Jen asked, at a loss what to reply.

"No" the other woman said with a shake of her head. "There is no doubt that the child is still grieving, but I think what triggers the meltdowns is the fact that he _wants_ to participate and feels he can't."

"You've lost me."

"He's very proud of his father, as most children are. The fact that he's dead doesn't diminsh that. In fact it makes him want to put more effort into the project so that he can show everyone what a great man he was. But he realised this week, as everyone shared their stories, that he has no real idea what his father did. He knows nothing beyond the fact that he was a federal agent killed in the line of duty. Now considering Mr. Pacci's line of work this isn't surprising, but in his head he can't do the project because he has nothing to talk about. To a five year old who's grieving that means he can't do right by his father, and he can't deal with that right now."

Jen closed her eyes against the renewed pain of loss.

"What can I do?" she asked when the extreme emotion stopped swirling.

"Is there anyone that you can turn to? A colleague of your brother perhaps. Someone who would be able to get him into the Navy Yard. Show him his father's desk. Maybe give him a tour of the facility. Explain to him in basic terms how cases are handled. Show him any equipment his father would have handled. Maybe even arrange a short meeting with the Director. Anything to give the child a feel for what his father did on a daily basis. Things he can _share_."

_________________________________________________________________________________

Jen nursed a coffee and looked at the little boy sitting across from her.

"Am I in trouble?"

"No. I took you out early because I thought it would be nice if we spent some time together without Molly. We don't often get to do that."

"Okay."

"How's your hot chocolate?" she added when he didn't say anything else.

"It's good. Can I have another one when I'm done?"

"Sure you can" Jen said, wrapping her arm around him and pulling him into her side. "Gabriel ..."

"What?"

"Why didn't you tell me about your project for Career Week?"

The child's tone turned defensive immediately.

"I forgot" he lied.

Jen considered her next words carefully as she remembered the counsellor's parting advice to get the child's input before attempting to contact NCIS.

"I spoke to Mrs. Milligan this morning. She's nice."

Gabriel nodded but didn't make eye contact.

"She thinks it might help if you could see where daddy worked. Would you be able to do your project then?"

Gabriel's eyes lit up for the first time in weeks and he took a long swallow of his drink. Jenny drew deeply from her own - and waited for the inevitable question.

____________________________________________________________________________

Abby jumped slightly as Gibbs' voice flowed into her ear.

"Looks like a serial number."

"It's part of one" she said with a smile.

"The good part?"

"Can't go straight for dessert, Gibbs. You have to eat your peas first."

"Ach, I hate peas" he said as he stood closer to the plasma.

"The serial number indicates the manufacturer, the lot number, and the year that it was built. We only have a partial, so we only have part of the picture."

"The g-"

"Special Agent Gibbs, please report to HR" a voice blared over the PA system. "Special Agent Gibbs report to HR."

Abby followed him to the phone in her office.

"Gibbs" he said when someone from that department picked up. "Got it. Thanks."

The goth looked on with interest as a look of disbelief crossed his face. But when he opened his cell phone and punched in whatever numbers the person at the other end was giving him and moved towards the door, her interest escalated into curiosity.

"What about the ..."

"Hold the thought" was all he said as he left the lab with his phone to his ear.

He waited till he was somewhere private before he depressed the button that would place the call.

"Jenny?" he said, surprised to hear the anxiety in his tone. "Jenny .. you there?" he added when she didn't respond immediately.

"Jethro?"

"Yeah. You called?"

"Yes. I .. "

"You okay?"

He relaxed fractionally when he heard her say "I'm fine" but it still didn't explain why she was calling, or why there was insecurity in her voice when she said "but I'd like to talk to you. Maybe later, or tomorrow, or .."

"I can talk now, Jen."

_____________________________________________________________________________

"Second thing?"

"Staff Seargent Rafael is holding out. I can feel it in my gut" Kate said.

"Guts are good."

"He's having a little time out in the interrogation room. So when you're ready I'll go over my notes -"

"Boss .."

He turned towards the sound of Tony's voice and his breath caught in his throat. He wasn't sure if it was because she was standing in the same spot her brother had been, or because she was more beautiful than he remembered – but he knew he was staring. Conscious of the fact that all his team were now staring at _him_, he turned back to Kate.

"I'm afraid Staff Seargent Rafael is all yours" he said, amused by the way her eyes widened in shock.

"_You_ always do the interrogations, Gibbs."

"Not this one" he said, breaking away from her. "Going for coffee" he tossed at Di Nozzo as he put an arm under Jen's elbow and steered her towards the elevators. "Call me as soon as Abby's worked out my ID. and tell Stone I'll be ready to roll as soon as the meet's set up."

Jen shifted nervously from one foot to the other as the elevator made its way downwards. For weeks she'd meant to call and apologise for the way she'd reacted on the night of the memorial service. Had picked up the phone several times even. Only to put it down again; unable to make the call. Watching him at work just now she could well believe Chris might have felt uncomfortable and backed off. Even she'd felt awkward – and he'd been expecting her. The aura surrounding him at NCIS was very different from the one at the funeral and at home, and she could see Chris backing off and not coming back if something important had been going on. Fleetingly she wondered if she'd imagined that he'd been happy to see her. It was imcomprehensible to her that he could be, after the harsh words she'd thrown at him, but the way her insides had fluttered when he'd looked at her made her hope that the look in his eyes hadn't been a figment of her imagination.

"I don't want to take you away if you have a case ..." she began.

"Nothing my agents can't handle."

"The ... _meet_?"

"Not for a few more hours."

"Is it something dangerous, Jethro?" she asked, fear creeping over her as his hand settled at the small of her back – even though she knew she had no right to feel anything in his regard.

"I'll be fine" he said as he ushered her out of the elevator.

Ten minutes later when they had settled into seats at his regular coffee haunt it was still on her mind.

"Have you got good back up?"

Gibbs looked across the table at her and was struck all over again by the intensity in her eyes. Part of him wished he could tell her that he was going on a fake undercover op, just to put her mind at rest. But since that was impossible, he settled for reaching across the table and placing his hand over hers.

"The best" he assured her, smiling slightly when he realised that she wasn't pulling away.

"Jethro, the night you were at the house I was .."

"You were grieving, Jenny."

"I was out of line."

"No, you weren't."

"Yes, I was. I needed to be angry at someone."

"Jen .."

He stilled the moment she raised her fingers to his mouth and cut him off.

"Let me apologise."

She wasn't sure what was making her so bold, but she knew that touching him was as instinctive as it had been the last time she'd seen him. She smiled a little when she realised that he looked as surprised as she felt, and lowered her fingers self-consciously. If anyone had told her a few weeks before that she'd want to be anywhere near the man she held responsible for her brother's death, or that she'd be worried about his safety, she'd have laughed in their face. But a long talk with Alberto had opened her up to the possibility that Chris might have made his own choices. That it wasn't fair to blame someone else when he might not have waited for help. She'd reached the conclusion on her own that she was so conflicted about Leroy Jethro Gibbs because she'd been attracted to him. That nugget of information had been harder to reconcile to than anything else because of the circumstances; and ultimately she' done nothing about it - because she was sure she'd burned her bridges the night she turned on him.

"You don't need to aplogise" he insisted – and because she could sense it was important to him, she let it drop.

"I never asked you who caught Chris's killer" she said softly after a while.

"We did."

"You mean _you_ did?"

"Team effort" he said, unable and unwilling to take full credit.

"Where is he now?"

"Dead."

"Who pulled the trigger?"

He did her the courtesy of meeting her eyes before he answered.

"That'd be me."

She knew if she tried to speak her voice would crack – so the hand that had never left his applied gentle pressure.

"That why you wanted to talk to me?" he asked when he was sure she'd be able to answer. "To ask me that?"

"No. It's about Gabriel."

"He okay?"

"If it's not too much to ask I need a favour."

"Anything."

Gibbs listened as she told him what was going on.

"Bring him in tomorrow after school" he said. "I'll do it myself."

Jen didn't try to pretend to herself or to him that his words didn't affect her. She felt her eyes soften as she looked at him. Felt a rush of warmth as she saw his soften in return and a small smile spread over his lips. As a companionable silence stretched between them they stared at each other over the rims of their coffee cup – neither one willing to break it with anything as mundane as words.

But the moment couldn't last.

"Gibbs" he said into his cell phone, even though his eyes remained on her. "On my way."

"I take it that means you have to go" she said as she reached for her jacket.

"Yeah" he replied as he helped her into it – his hands lingering on her perhaps a bit longer than they ordinarily would have on another woman.

"If anything changes you'll let me know?" she asked as they left the coffee shop.

"Nothing's gonna change" he promised.

"Then we'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll be waiting."


	5. Chapter 5

_**Two weeks later ...**_

Jenny looked at her watch as she put the contents of the shopping cart into the trunk of her car – slightly worried that she was going to be late for pick up. She rolled her eyes when her cell phone rang, but her heart started to beat double time the moment she saw who was calling. Her blood ran cold when she heard the Principal's voice.

"Ms. Shepard? This is Dr. Cole from ..."

"Is Gabriel okay?"

"Oh he's fine. I just wanted to thank you personally."

Jenny's forehead furrowed in confusion.

"Thank me?"

"For arranging for NCIS to be here today."

"NCIS?" she asked. But the Principal was on a roll.

"When they called last week I assumed they'd be sending one agent. I wasn't expecting seven people, and I certainly wasn't expecting them to stay all afternoon. I'd never met a medical examiner, or even the assistant of a medical examiner for that matter. It was fascinating. They brought equipment, video footage of their forensic lab, a recorded video message from the dispatchers. They even let the children see the inside of their van. But the most exciting thing was a direct feed on one of their computers to a secure location. We gathered all the children in the amphitheatre and Director Morrow actually spoke to them live."

Jenny wanted to laugh at the unbridled enthusiasm in his voice. Sure from the way his voice filled with awe as he mentioned the assessment centre that the adults had enjoyed the afternoon as much as the children. If not more.

"I think Agent Gibbs may have done more for recruitment today than he realises" Dr. Cole said with a chuckle.

Jenny leaned against the car closed her eyes as her head filled with images of Jethro. She opened them again when she realisd that the Principal was still talking and that she'd missed half of what he'd said.

"... this school has ever seen. I was just on my way to Gabriel's class to thank the agents before they leave, but I wanted to thank you too."

"I had no idea they were coming" Jenny confessed. "I had nothing to do with it."

There was silence for a moment.

"Then they must have had more respect for your brother than you know" he said softly.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_Traffic would conspire against her on the one day she needed to get to school before it got out_, she thought to herself as she waited at a junction.

It was twenty minutes after dismissal by the time she reached the parking lot. Parent pick up was over, and the last of the buses was pulling out.

"Aunty Jenny!"

Gabriel catapulted himself into her arms, his face aglow with excitement.

"Jethro was here. And Abby and Ducky and Jason and Tony and Kate and McGee. I got to go with them to all the classes and introduce them. And they brought the van and we saw Lenny and Mark on video,and next month our class is going to go on a field trip to the Navy Yard and Abby is going to let us test our fingertips. I'm going to be the first one who gets to do it!"

Jenny would have smiled if she hadn't seen the shadow fall behind him. The child was momentarily forgotten as she looked up into Jethro's face, and she found she had no idea what to say to him. _Thank you_ seemed puerile somehow, and touching him was hardly appropriate. So she settled for "Hello Jethro" - even if she knew her voice betrayed all the emotion she was feeling. Not only because of what he'd done for Gabriel, but also because her heart had started to beat double time again. Only this time the reason was a lot more personal.

From the way she was looking at him he could tell she'd only just found out what he'd set up – and although he'd done it for Gabriel, he was sharp enough to recognise that the thought of potentially seeing her again had been in the back of his mind too. That he'd wanted to please her much as he'd wanted to do something special for the child.

"Jen" he acknowledged - a self-satisfied smile finding its way onto his face.

"Jethro has a boat in his basement" Gabriel said, tugging at her jacket. "He said I can go and see it whenever I like. Can I go today? Can I go now?"

"Um .. I am sure Jethro needs to get back to work" she said diplomatically.

"You always say that" he replied, eliciting a smile from both adults.

"I left Molly with Mrs. Murphy. I said we'd pick her up right after school. We're already late."

Gabriel pouted.

"Please?" he said.

"Not today, sweetheart" Jen said, lowering herself to his level. "Today's just not a good day. Maybe you can go another day if Jethro isn't busy."

"But he said ..."

"I can take him home, show him the boat and have him home in time for dinner" Gibbs offered.

I don't want to take you out of your way. You've already -"

"Not a problem. I need to do a bit of sanding. Gabriel can help."

"If you're sure ..." Jen began. Shooting him a grateful smile when he nodded. "Will you stay for dinner when you bring him home? The least I can do is feed you."

Gibbs angled his head and smiled – and there it was again, she realised. The look in his eyes that made her insides flutter.

"Well then, I should .. get going" she said as they started walking towards her car altogether. Very conscious of the fact that his hand had found its way to her lower back again. "I'll give you his car seat and ... I'll see you both later."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah. Shoot."

"How are you going to get this out of here when it's finished?"

Gibbs smiled.

"Good question. I don't know. I haven't thought about it much."

"I think maybe you could use a crane or something."

"Yeah? Like dig a ramp, knock that wall out, and hoist it out of here?"

Gabriel checked the wall out before nodding.

"Yeah. Like that."

"Good plan" Gibbs said, ruffling his hair when the boy gave him a wide smile.

"Can you waterski behind this boat?" Gabriel asked suddenly.

"Do you waterski?"

Gabriel nodded enthusiastically.

"Sounds like fun."

"It's great fun. Am I still going to help you sand?"

"Sure."

"I already know how to sand" he said. "When I was little I helped my dad sand the garage door. I was up on a ladder and everything."

"So then you already know that when you sand you go with the ..."

"Grain of the wood. Yup. I know that" the child said as he picked up a sander. "Isn't it different with a boat?"

"Nope. You always go with the grain of the wood. Put your weight behind it" Gibbs said as he placed his hand over his and guided him. "Back and forth. Real even."

They worked together in silence until Gabriel broke it.

"I think Alberto wants to marry aunty Jenny" he announced. "But I don't think it's a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Because I want to marry her. How long do you think I have to wait?"

Gibbs suppressed a smile as he recognised the kind of earnestness only a child that age could possess.

"How come you want to marry aunty Jenny?"

"Because we love each other a lot. But I'm not sure. I already almost don't fit in her lap. Do you think I should marry Nonna instead?"

"I think you need to wait a little before you marry anyone."

"Have you got a wife?" Gabriel asked, looking round as though he expected someone to step out of the shadows.

"Nope."

"Did you ever have one?"

"Had four."

Gabriel's eyes widened – and then he smiled.

"Good" he said as he picked up the sander. "So you can marry aunty Jenny - because you're used to marrying people."

Gibbs didn't bother to suppress the laughter this time – and it was only fuelled more by the next words to come out of Gabriel's mouth.

"And you'd be getting a really a good deal .. because she's really pretty."

"So who will _you_ marry?"

"Nonna Cesca." When Gibbs looked inquiringly at him he added, "she's a better cook and she makes me cookies whenever I ask."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

"Uh-oh" Molly articulated as the last piece of canteloupe flew out her fingers and onto the carpet.

"Where'd it go?" Jen said, making a show of looking around.

"It ran off" Molly said as she slid down from her seat and went in search of it.

Jen looked across the table at Jethro, and was relieved to see that he wasn't looking uncomfortable. All afternoon she'd worried that being alone with Gabriel in the sanctuary of his own home would raise spectres from his past that might bring him pain, and that having dinner with him might do the same. But looking at him now he seemed to be genuinely enjoying the children, and the dinner.

"Cuckoo!" Molly said as she came up inbetween his legs at the dinner table, the tablecloth framing her face.

He smiled as she lolled against his knee for a while before scrambling up onto his lap.

"Molly .. don't be a pest" Jen said with a roll of her eyes as the little girl reached for his shirt and looked down it.

Dissatisfied, she pulled at the round neck of his t-shirt and did the same.

"D'you have boobilage?" she asked seriously.

"Molly ..." Jen warned as the little girl sat herself down on the table and lifted her top.

"_I_ have boobilage."

Jen covered her eyes with a soft groan.

"Sorry" she said in Gibbs' direction. "She's going through a bit of a _phase_. She does this everywhere at the moment. Even while we're waiting in line at the supermarket."

Encouraged by the sights and sounds of Gabriel laughing hysterically, Molly pointed at her navel and then straight at Gibbs.

"And I have a wicky wucky. D'you have a wicky wucky?"

"Molly that's _enough_" Jen said, but by now she too was laughing helplessly.

The little girl looked around the room for a moment before crawling over the table and throwing herself into Jenny's lap.

"I laf you" she announced.

"I also love you" Gabriel said as he came round the table and put his arm around both of them.

Gibbs looked at the three of them, the sense of loss that haunted him beginning to rear its ugly head. As though she could sense it Jenny rose from her chair.

"I think it's time to say goodnight" she said.

"Already?" Gabriel asked.

"Nonno is coming to get you early in the morning" she said. "It's been a long day and you need to sleep well if you're going to help him paint that fence."

"Oh yeah, the fence" the child said happily as he turned proudly to Gibbs. "I'm going to help my grandpa paint his fence tomorrow."

"Right, what do you say?" Jen asked.

"Thank you for letting me see the boat" Gabriel said as he wrapped his arms around Gibbs' waist.

"Anytime."

"Really? Can I come and help you again sometime?"

"Whenever you want."

"Can I 'ave my ciuccino?" Molly asked suddenly.

"Do you know where it is?" Jenny asked her.

"This way .." Molly said, pointing to the top of the entertainment centre.

"I'll get it" Gibbs said as he pulled it down.

"Thankyouverymuch" Molly rattled off.

"Are you in a..." Jen started to say, as the child popped the pacifier in her mouth and nestled against her.

"Take your time."

"Good night Jethro."

"Night, Gabe."

As she passed by in Jen's arms Molly leant over.

"It's seepy-times. G'night" she said sweetly. "Can I have a hug?"

She went willingly into his arms only to put a hand against his mouth as soon as he moved his face close to hers.

"No kissing" she said matter-of-factly.

Gibbs smiled as he hugged her and handed her back to her aunt.

"Ciao bye see you" Molly waved over her aunt's shoulder.

"I'll be back soon" Jenny called as she started to walk up the stairs. "Feel free to help yourself to a drink."

____________________________________________________________________________________

She watched him from the doorway of the study a short while later. Smiling when she realised that he'd found the bottle of bourbon she'd purchased a few weeks earlier, and had helped himself to some.

"It's not half as interesting drinking on your own" he said without looking round from the book shelves he was inspecting.

She walked over to the drinks cabinet only to discover that he'd poured some out for her as well. The same type of comfortable silence from the coffee shop fell between them as she came to stand beside him, but she could tell there was something on his mind.

"Jethro?"

"How've you been?"

"We're okay" she said. "Gabriel has his good days and his bad days. Molly ... well, Molly was mine from the day she was born because Maria was too sick to look after her. She wasn't as attached to Chris as Gabe was. So she's our salv - "

"I meant you, Jen" he said quietly, putting his glass down on the desk and turning to face her.

"Good and bad days for me too" she said. "But I'll be okay. How have _you_ been?"

The question floored him and made him reach for his glass again. But she wasn't letting him off the hook. She placed her hand on his and took the glass from him.

"Are _you_ okay?" she wanted to know.

"Getting there" he said honestly, the sincerity behind her words making it hard to be anything but truthful.

He drained his glass in one swallow and she could sense that he didn't know what to do with himself.

"I've decided that you were right" she said with a smile, knowing that a shift in topic was necessary if they wanted to be able to move past what he perceived as lying between them.

"About?"

"This being an acquired taste" she said as she held up her own glass.

"And?"

"Very much worth acquiring" she replied, making something in him loosen just a bit as he realised that she wasn't necessarily talking about the bourbon anymore.

It hit him like a ton of bricks that he'd forgotten what it was like to be intoxicated by a woman; that he'd forgotten what it felt like to have overtures made to him. But it was his reaction to the fact that she was making them that told him that he was in danger of accepting and reciprocating. And he wasn't altogether sure that was a good thing. That either one of them was ready for it, really.

"Jenny .." he began as she moved closer; the desire to touch her face almost bigger than his capacity to curb it.

She raised her fingers to his lips again, and this time the frisson between them was unmistakable.

"Thank you" she said, her voice little more than a whisper.

"I should go" he said slowly, still not entirely sure he trusted himself to let her get any closer.

"Okay" she said understandingly as she walked him slowly towards the front door. "Are you sure about Gabriel and the boat .." she asked when they reached it; more amused than she wanted to show by how unsettled he was about the chemistry between them.

"Yeah."

"Jethro" she called softly as he reached for the door knob.

"Yeah?"

He wasn't ready for her to be standing right there as he turned back to her. Even less ready for the gentle kiss that she brushed across his lips. Jen smiled against his cheek as one of his arms crept around her waist and pulled her into him. They stood there in silence for a while; enjoying the feel of each other and of the strong emotions passing between them. Gradually she became aware of the hands sliding up and down her spine, and she pulled her head back slightly. She cupped his face tenderly, but he was the one to move first this time – leaning in to kiss her cheeks, her nose, and her forehead. As he pulled her closer still she felt one of his hands move to the back of her neck. Holding her. Guiding her. Allowing himself access to her mouth. Placing chaste kisses on it with what Jen interpreted as restraint. She pulled away a little – taking the time to admire admire his features, and to place small kisses around his mouth. When she felt as though she was drowning in his darkening eyes she closed her own and pressed her advantage. She was less passive this time. Pushing against him. Smiling against his lips when she felt him push back and lay claim to her mouth properly. He touched the tip of his tongue to her lips tentatively. Tracing the their inside as she opened her mouth up to him. Deepening the kiss in a flash of heat. A sneak preview of what she knew would transpire between them if she let it.

"Jen" he murmured as he felt his body begin to react to the proximity. Knowing she'd felt it too. Unsure how far to take things.

Jen pulled away from him, and as he ran his fingers over her swollen lips it was impossible to stop herself from running her fingers through his hair. There was more than a tinge of regret to her voice when she spoke.

"Once upon a time I would have asked you to stay. And I wouldn't have taken no for an answer. But it's not that simple these days .." she said nodding to the upstairs level.

Gibbs smiled as she walked back into his arms and hugged him tight. It was all the reassurance he needed.

"I'll call you" he said as he stroked her cheek before finally turning the door knob and stepping out into the cool night air.

Jen smiled as she watched him walk down the steps towards his waiting car.

"I'll be waiting" she echoed with a smile

_______________________________________________________________

**Author's note:**

I suspect some people are going to feel _cheated_ by the fact that I didn't write a chapter detailing Gabe's visit to the Navy Yard – but I really didn't want this to become more of a family fic than it already is. I wanted it to be a bit of an exploration of Gibbs' guilt over Pacci's death, and also a story that ended on a hopeful note. Although I have to admit it felt very weird writing a story with no smut. I suspect there may be some sort of reaction to that in the near future. Sorry.


End file.
